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Tau XVZ Super Heavy Walker
Having seen a variety of works for Tau Titans or Superheavies, love the ideas for both walkers and super heavy grav vehicles. Despite the arguments against super heavy walkers, I feel the fluff behind Tau technology and their battlesuit development as well encounters versus Imperial Titans, would only foster a desire to exceed Imperial designs with Earth Caste superior innovation and Tau technology. A Tau Super Heavy walker would be either landlocked defensive unit, or as a Crusader assault unit against a heavily fortified planet. Outfitted with enhanced grav vectoring technologies as well advanced shield (void class) designs which would require larger power supplies to generate but to big to fit into their standard vehicles and battlesuits. The grav assisted thrust would classify the XVZ as an Agile Fast Walker. The armor classification would be Knight classed, a designation used for walkers smaller than Reaver/Warhounds, yet bigger than dreadnoughts. Smaller in comparative designs to their rival Imperial counterparts, the Tau firepower it would be capable of fielding would be on par if not rival that of a Reaver/Warhound. Coupled with it's faster movement making it would be a dangerous Super Heavy, though not nearly as graceful as say Eldar Titan class warmachines. A back mounted Shield flux generator, capable of maintaining multiple layered void strength shields. As well twin hardwired Drone guidance control systems for whichever heavy drones assigned to it, Targeting, anti-personnel, Heavy Shields, Heavy Weapon, etc. These Super Heavy Battlesuits would piggyback on the undercarriage for planetary drop by Manta Missile destroyers, which descend to HALO altitudes to dispatch Cadre ground forces. Barracuda class fighters would provide screening protection from enemy fighter craft. The XVZ would utilize the overboosted powerful grav-thrust to slow it's landfall descent and provide limited flight capabilities to remain agile enough to maneuver against enemy airborne combatants, missiles and ground fire. The hatch style markings on the primary green are intentional patterns, not attempts at shading/highlighting. Wanted to give it a very subtle green grassy touch to it without overwhelming the entire model with to much detail. For scale purposes this walker is roughly 3 1/2 to 4 times the height of a standard GW XV8 crisis suit. Roughly 10-12 inches in height, compared to a Reaver it's about 1/2 the height, so still relatively small. It is a work in progress, call it my ADD or OCD, or what not, but when an idea surfaces I'll shelve a project to start another, lest I forget, lose interest. I call it my artistic curse. Figure is a Coreworks Gundum suit, modified with plasticard, Tau bits and additional sculpt work to change the original look. Still some modifications to be added. Missing pieces are the Dual Drum Pod style missile housings that will sit behind the shoulders, emblems, upper torso canopy for the forward gunner/pilot. Also working on a pair of larger 3 toe'd heel style feet like those of the XV8s.
Posted: 9 Jan 2011
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